The Legend and The New Beginning
by CountSheep
Summary: Sanford has a new partner. But is he ready for the switch? And is Deimos ready to fill the shoes of a living legend? And what about this Legend? What does he have to say about the situation? Madness Combat Fanfic. Read and Review Plz!
1. The New Guy

Sanford and Deimos were the salt to each other's pepper. Sanford was a master of melee combat and loved to fight in up close. Deimos preferred to leave a little distance between him and his enemies and slay them with short controlled bursts of semi/full automatic gun fire. Sanford was tall, 6'8", broad shouldered and stiff lipped with an oppressive air about his frame and a harsh, gravelly voice. Deimos was shorter by half a foot, but had a lean, athletic frame. He had a devil-may-care demeanor that put a confident stride in his step, and an odd raspy lilt in his words.

While Sanford was only 2 years older (30 years old to be specific) he was decades ahead of Deimos in maturity and work ethic. Deimos had never been resurrected in his years in the anti-A.A.H.W. organization, and had yet to gain the gaunt features of someone who had been a corpse. His cheeks were still full of color and life, not grey from dead pigments. His hair was still a chestnut brown, eyes a bright hazel. He looked nothing like his partner, who had turned to the monochromatic life of a veteran agent. His once sandy blonde hair had become a dark grey, and his eyes, once deep green, had turned as black as coal.

They were still strangers to each other. Neither knew anything of the other, and the elder of the two wished it to stay that way. But his new partner was annoyingly persistent. Never leaving the veteran alone.

They had been taking a "partner training course". A course that taught new recruits and solo vets to work as a unit. Sanford had worked the course with his ex partner, Hank. But the Higher Powers wanted him to take the new kid and re-take the training. Deimos had shown that, while his melee skills were only slightly above average, his skills with firearms were some of the best the organization had seen. But what changed Sanford's mind about the new kid being a liability were his skills with technology. Hacking, programming, re-programming. The kid was able to change all of the lockdown protocols for the entire facility in ten minutes.

It was after the initial technological aptitude examination that Deimos had begun tagging along with his older partner. Following him to the PT room, a lazy smile on his face, and hands in the pockets of his hoody. Sanford tried to ignore the stares the two received as they entered the room. Deimos was the only new recruit in the entire room. But it seemed this didn't bother him at all. He merely strode in crossed the matted floor and took a seat next to the fighting ring at the back corner of the room. He watched the two vets boxing with casual interest.

Sanford sighed and went to change into his training clothes. He came from the locker room in a light grey wife-beater and black sweat pants and walked towards the ring as well. He recognized the two who were currently grappling. Grant and Ray. The two had been in the organization for 5 years each. Both had seen a few resurrections themselves but when Sanford approached the ring, Ray tapped out and gave a respectful nod at the 12 year vet before them. Sanford returned the nod and hopped into the ring. Ray slid under the ropes and left him and Grant to spar.

Ray took a seat next to Deimos, reaching out a hand to the rooky. Deimos returned the hand shake happily.

"So kid, you're Sanford's new partner?"

Deimos nodded.

"Yeah, although honestly I don't think he needs one. The guy looks like he can handle himself."

He made a gesture to the ring where Sanford was, for lack of a better word, demolishing his sparring opponent. Grant was trying desperately to stay on his feet. But after being caught in a "guillotine" was brought to the rings mat and pulled into an "arm-bar". Ray laughed.

"Yeah that's what everyone thought. I mean, anyone who can be put on par with Hank can handle anything the A.A.H.W. can throw at him."

"Hank?"

Ray shot a disbelieving glance at the young man next to him. Not sure if it was just some really bad joke.

"Are you serious? You mean Sanford never told you?"

Deimos shook his head and looked at his new partner who now had Grant in a "rear naked choke hold".

"He doesn't really talk to me all that much…why? Is Hank that big of a deal?"

"Are you kidding me?! He hasn't told you anything about his old partner at all-"

Ray's words were cut off when his partner was thrown over the top rope of the ring. Grant was lying on the floor of the room, groaning. Ray stood up and walked quickly to the other side and knelt down neat to his friend.

"Hey, Grant? Ya dead?"

"Yeah man."

Deimos held in a laugh when Sanford stood in front of him, his bag already in his hand.

"Come on kid, we're done."

The younger man stood and followed his partner out, but not before saying a quick farewell to the Grant and Ray.

They had left the facility. The walk out of the ominous building to the car was quiet. Filled only with Sanford telling Deimos to hurry up when he fell behind. The young man had nearly caught up when he slapped himself in the head.

"Ah, God Dammit!"

"What?"

"Can you wait for me at the car? I forgot to get my stuff from the locker rooms."

Sanford let out an exasperated sigh but waved the rooky off, heading to the car and starting it up. He watched as Deimos ran back into the building. Even if he wasn't exactly the best melee fighter, he at least had some speed in those legs. Minutes passed slowly. Five minutes. Understandable. The new kid didn't know his way around very well. Ten minutes. Huh…must've gotten lost. Fifteen minutes. What the hell was taking him so long?

The veteran became too irritated to wait any longer. He cut the ignition and left the car. Determined to find and chew out the little nuisance. The shy over head was growing dark. Deep grey clouds obscuring a blank white sky. The air had become thicker with humidity. Sanford raised an eyebrow. When was the last time it ever rained in Nevada? He thought back and remembered the last time with perfect clarity. He stopped dead in his tracks. _No fucking way._ He broke out into a dead sprint, reaching the end of the parking lot in mere seconds.

Onlookers in the lobby of the facility sidestepped out of his way, knowing better than to ask him to slow down. Sanford himself hurdled the line of back-to-back waiting chairs with ease and reached the hall to that lead to the locker rooms in what would later be argued as the record speed. But once he rounded the corner, locked his feet and skidded to a dead halt.

There at the end of the hall, stood the man that he had, once upon a time, called his partner. And that man was standing there, talking to the kid who now held that title. The man, in all his black clad glory, turned as if he knew who was watching him and smiled, clapping a hand on the shoulder of the younger man next to him.

"Hey, San. You've got yourself one hell of a new partner."

TBC


	2. A Familiar Stranger

There had always been something about the way Hank spoke. Not so much the way he worded things. But the way he said them. A simple 'hello' could be a threat on your life if it came from Hank. It was perhaps the on of the most disconcerting aspects of his person. Where most people could hint at an idea, Hank could utter the most off topic phrase and get his point across. But he could also tell you the most blunt and honest truth and leave you wondering. It was something Sanford had grown accustomed to in his years as the man's partner. He could tell what Hank meant no matter what words he spun off.

But now, as he stood at Deimos' side, with that blank, cold stare, Sanford couldn't decipher whatever message was swimming around in his head. He stood there trying to find something to say. Something other than what he was thinking. Something other than 'Yeah, but he's not you.' Instead he decided to not say anything at all. Deimos took the silence as the go ahead to open his mouth.

"So, you guys know each other?"

Sanford brought a hand to his head and gave a heavy sigh. Leave it to the new kid to open his mouth. But then again he was new so how would he know? He wouldn't.

"San and I were partners for about 5 years. He and I go way back."

Again. There was no inflection. Nothing to lay the print that was in between the lines. Hank turned his head as if listening to someone call his name. He nodded and gave one last pat on Deimos' shoulder.

"I have to go. I'm meeting with the Higher Powers. I'll see you around, kid." He nodded his goodbye to Sanford. "San."

The hollow thunk of Hanks boots echoed off the narrow walls of the hall. The two partners stood. One perplexed the other oblivious. Sanford had once prided himself on being able to tell what Hank was thinking. Had the 2 since hank left for Nevada changed the two that much? Or had Hank been the only one to change?

Deimos grabbed his bag from the ground, shoved a hand in his pocket and walked off, finally ready to go back to the complex. Sanford followed behind, watching the technician as he occasionally slowed his pace to peer through the windows of random doors.

Did this kid really not know? Is he really that ill-informed? The older man tried to think of anyone else in the organization that might not know who Hank was. Not a single name came to mind.

"So…You and that guy used to be partners?"

Sanford winced at Deimos' use of "That guy".

"Yes. And he's not just some guy. His name is Hank. Hank J. Wimbleton." His words sounded a little harsher than he had meant for them to be. Deimos turned his face showing the slightest hint of confusion.

"Oh…sorry."

Sanford was having a hard time believing it. Hank wasn't one to not let his reputation precede him. And why had he not even introduced himself to the new kid? It was strange. It was as if Hank didn't want Deimos to know about him. Or at least he didn't want him to know he was, in a sense, a living legend. Sanford mulled it over in his head until they finally reached the car. He decided he'd have to trust his old partner's behavior. For now at least.

TBC


End file.
